Smyrna times. [volume] (Smyrna, Del.) 1854-1987, 1887-12-07
Early History Of St. Peters Church

From the Rev. i. d. GibsOn's histori
cal Thanksgiving discourse in tracing
the history of the Episcopal Church i'm
Delaware and especially Dover. the
hrst mention that is made of the Ennis.
ccoopal church for this place was that
IN the county records an indenture
was recorded in the year 174O between
Thomas Green, Of Duck Creek Hun
dred and Nicholas Ridgely and Thomas
Iarrents church wardens Of St. Jones
church at Dover in the county Of
Kent" This is the same Green from
whom the stream flowing this side Int
near to Duck Creek took its name. and
on the brow of the hill running IN
from which was the site of the first ST
refers church, the stones of which
form part Of the present church. be-
ing brought thither after long season
OF dlsuse and decay when it was recon-
structed over sixty years ago. The
church or society at Dover was first
mentioned in 1903 when a memorial
was sent to the bishop of London, sign
ed by twenty-five persons asking for
minister because of the increase of
SIN and crime" One was sent and
they seem to have been supplied with
a preacher for some seven wears and
the condition of things generally re-
ported bad, and ministers hard to keen.
" But at length" says the narrative. in
1888, after % years of vacancy. the
Rev. George Frazier arrived in Phila-
delphia, and he writes: 81 went down
about 100 miles to the place of my mis-
sion and was received cordially uDon
landing by sundry principal inhabi-
tants and conveyed to Dover the coun.
try town, a small village of Is or Is
families. l preached next dav in the
courthouse, and some days afterward
we chose two church wardens and 10
vestrymen-twO Of every hundred,
IN the county. We likewise began a
subscription TO build a brick church at
Dover, and have since subscribed to it
about 8lOO." The people are poor so
that the payment of my subscription is
backward. The next year he reports
the congregation increasing, and then
there is another vacancy"
Five years after or in 174O the Rev.
Arthur Upsher was sent, who must
have been the first preacher for the
Duck Creek church. A quotation
from one of his letters saws: In 1743.
" l find there are 1905 families in the
county, whereof sos are of the Church
of England, 392 Presbyterians. 60
Quakers and IS Papists."
The most distinguished and success
full of the preachers sent to minister to
the churches of Kent county was the
Rev. Charles Inglis who succeeded
Rev. Hugh Neill in 1859 after a pas
torate of nine years. He saws The
church at Duck Creek was too small
and the people determined to build a
new brick church, and an addition was
also made to the church at Mispillion.
The county at this time for this part of
the world is thickly settled, and this
county contains 1000 souls" In his
mission at this time were the churches
OF Duck Creek, Dover and Mispillion
and he added another on the borders
of Maryland. Mr.. Inglis remained un
til 1865 when he went to New York
and became bishop of Nova Scotia in
1887.
Rev. Samuel Magaw was his success
sor. He was a native of the county
and cast his lot with the patriots but
most OF the Episcopal ministers being
Englishmen left their church when the
the Revolutionary war came on, and
returned to England. Two years after
Rev. Samuel Roe was secured as rec
tor, Dover church paying s2OO and
Duck Creek E10O, but after his death
which occurred in 1891 the societies.
from their emaciation by the war.
seems to have largely gone down or
services very irregularly held, which
was doubtless aided by the wildfire of
Methodist revival with which the indie
fatigable itenerant swept this PENN
sula at that time.